Surveying instrument.



No. 675,I2'2. Patented May 28, |901.

W. F. WIDMAYER. SURVEYING INSTRUMENT.

(ApplicationV led Nov. 13, 1899.)

2 Sheets- Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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No. 675,I22. Patented May 28, |90I.

W. F. WIDMAYER.

SUBVEYING INSTRUMENT.

(Application led Nov. 13, 1899.) (Nb Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

s uonms mi ou.. moto-umm wnnmarou UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM F. WIDMAYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

'SURVEYING INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 675,122, dated May 28, 1901.

Application tiled November 18, 1899. Serial No. 736.752. (No model.)

To all whom, i may concern,.-

Be it known thatLWILLIAM F. WIDMAYER, of thev borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Surveying Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The improvement applies to all forms of that class of instruments known as transits or theodolites having provisions for measuring inely both the horizontal angle and the vertical angie to which the telescope is swung.

The improvement is of advantage for all surveying and engineering purposes, but is intended more especially for mining operations and for precipitous mountain work, where it is necessary to sight directly upward or downward or above or below the range of the ordinary instrument. There have been many efforts made to adapt surveying instruments to these requirements. In one the rigid supports, commonly termed the standards,

are deflected, so as to overhang the side of the instrument so far that the telescope, allowed to turn in the Ys thereof, can range downward perpendicular or even incline obl liquely backward a little without the sight being interfered with by the body of the instru# ment. In another two' telescopes are employed, mounted either strictly parallel or with capacity for slight adjustment, the lowermost being centered on trunnions in Ys of standards and serving for ordinary purposes, while the other is rmly connected above at a sufficient distance therefrom to give clear sight downward when both are sufficiently turned. Both these and various other plans are open to serious objections. In my'instrument the ordinary supports and the ordinary telescope may be used in all respects in the ordinary manner for ordinary surveying. When it becomes necessary to range vertically, or nearly so, the binders or caps are liberated and the telescope, with its graduated circle and clamp, is carefully lifted out. A peculiar rocking piece is then introduced, which is provided with trunnions exactly matching in the Ys and a graduated circle and clamp (matching the one removed with the telescope) and is capable of turning therein the same as the telescope. This rocker is provided with two divergent arms, which extend to a sufficient distance, provided with proper adjustable bearings for a telescope at their outer ends, each equipped with a binder. The telescope,with its attachments, is then mounted in those bearings of such hinged supporting or rocking piece and is capable both of making a complete revolution in its bearings in the supporting-piece and of being carried bodily in the arc of the circle of which the rocker or supporting-piece forms the radius.

I equip the rocker with a Vernier mounted ad justably on one arm thereof in the ordinary manner and on the other arm withatangentscrew to work with the clamp in unison, and the instrument is then ready to work at any angle, the supporting-piece or rocker being revolved forward or backward or standing upright in a middle position or in any intermediate position, either above or below the Ys of the standards.

I provide the rocker with a counterbalanceweight on an arm extending in the opposite direction, adapted to balance the rockerarms, the telescope, and its attachments, so it will rest easily in any position, as also with a bubble on one of the arms.

For sighting down a shaft in a mine or when in a mine sighting upward through the shaft or in any nearly-perpendicular direction, the supporting-rocker being adjusted exactly level and clamped, the telescope is operated and the position determined by the graduated circle and Vernier with all the ease with which the instrument is worked in the ordinary position. Observations can also be made with the rocker in any other position than horizontal and true results obtained.

A prism eyepiece must be used to allow the observations to be made under certain circumstances.

Used as an ordinary surveying instrument, horizontal angles are read quickly from the horizontal graduated circle. Vertical angles are obtained as follows: Clamp both rocker and telescope horizontal, the ey'epiece toward the standards. Loosen clamp to rocker, and read Vertical angles direct on vertical circle of rocker without any allowance for eccentricity of the telescope.

The horizontal and vertical distances of any surface-point at top of shaft from any IOO point in the shaft or at the bottom of a mine can be determined trigonomctrically with this instrumentby the ordinaryopcration familiar to surveyors without having recourse to linear measurements, and from these data the distance between and the direction of the line connecting the two points can be obtained.

This invention also offers a quick and reliable means of setting up the instrument mathematically correct overa physical point without the aid of a plumb-bob. Level up the instrument and place the rocker and arms in such a position that the physical point can be sighted by the telescope. Clamp both rockerand telescope, and set fine on physical point. Now revolve rocker and telescope, so clamped, around horizonally one hundred and eighty degrees and sight again, and if position is correct the point will again be sighted. Now sightagain from two positions at right angles to last one. If pointis sighted both times, the instrument is in correct position over physical point. Should any dilferences be found in the above operations, find the mean of such difference and shift instrument on tripod to compensate forsuch mean differences respectively, and instrumeut will he in correct position over physical point.

A solai' compass and graduator may be attached to the post on the trunnions of the rocker in the same manner as it is ordinarily to a corresponding post on a telescope. EX- tra counterpoise should be used for it.

The accompanying` drawings form a part of this specification and represent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure l is a side elevation, the full lines showing the invention in use adjusted for sighting backward and the dotted lines indicating a number of other adjustments. The graduated wheels are of equal size in practice. Fig. 2 is a corresponding elevation adjusted for sighting down a mine or for setting up over a physical point without the aid of a plumb, and Fig. 3 is a plan View corresponding to Fig. Fig. 4 is a plan view on a smaller scale, showing a modification with rocker-arms closer together.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear.

Referring to Figs. l, 2, and 3, A is the plate, B the supports or standards of the instru ment, and C C are the ordinary binders. D is the telescope, turning on trunnions D', adapted to be supported in Ys b ZJ in the standards, and provided with a graduated wheel. A vernier-scale Bis arranged in proper relation to the graduated wheel Dl when thus mounted. These parts, as also the parts below, including the tripod and the provisions for indicating horizontal angles, maybe all of the ordinary and long-approved construction.

E is my rocker, a partially-revoluble supporting-piece, which is introduced when required. It is provided with trunnions El, exactlycorrespon'ding to the trunnions D/ of the telescope and similarly carried in the Ys. It is also provided with a graduated wheel E2, exactly corresponding to the wheel D2 on the telescope. Its arms have bearings or Ys c c, adapted to serve in the same manner as the bearings or Ys b b, and are correspondingly equipped with hinders F to allow the trunnions D'of the telescope to beintroduced and removed at will.

El is a vernier mounted adjustably on one of the arms Ein the position required to correctly receive the graduated wheel D2, and EG is a bubble attached to one of the arms for leveling up the rocker-arms.

The instrument may be used with the rocker in the,upright position and in a position for sighting through under the rocker for ordinary surveying, if required, and it maybe expedient to thus use it when only a few observations are to be made with the telescope in the ordinary positions. If any considerable amount of horizontal sighting work is to be done, I prefer to remove the rocker E and lay it carefully aside and carry the telescope directly in the Ys in the ordinary position (not necessary to represent) until it shall become necessary to sight again in a vertical 'or nearly vertical direction, when the rocker shall he again introduced. One mode of operation in ranging ont a line with the rocker in use is to first adjust the rocker exactly level and then proceed with the observation, noting only the vertical angle of' the wheel D2 by the vernier E4. Another mode of 0peration is to set the rocker inclining downward or upward to any moderate extent, fixing the inclination thereof by the graduated circle D2, vernier E4, and the rocker. Then determine the inclination of the telescope by the wheel E2 and the vernier B4. Carrying out this same process in another position of the rocker at one hundred and eighty degrees horizontally from the last and from the data obtained in both cases and the constant length of the rocker-arms the location of any point can be obtained.

The proportions allow the telescope to be partially or completely revolved in the rocker at the same time that the rocker is itself revolved or partially revolved. This is a convenience in making frequent and rapid changes for sighting down a mine or precipice to sighting approximately level or from front sight to back sight.

It will he understood that all adjustments necessary to render my instrument serviceable can be easily carried out in the ordinary manner.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle 4or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. I can provide a separate telescope D* and a separate graduated wheel D2* and clamp mounted in a rocker, with vertical circle and clamp, and having arms near together. I effect this ICO IIO

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by making the arms straight and parallel, the junctions to the shaft being the same distance apart as before and the supplementary bearings for the telescope therein being only the same distance apart. This form of the invention is indicated in Fig. 4.

I claim as my invention-` l. The combination With a telescope and the ordinary bearings of a transit or theodolite, of a detachable rocker adapted to match in the bearings thereof, such rocker having divergent arms carrying bearings near the ends thereof similar to the main bearings and similarly spaced apart adapted to receive a telescope and allow it to be elevated and depressed in the plane of the vertical axis .of the instrument, all substantially as herein specified.

2. The combination with the standards of a, transit or theodolite of a rocker E having divergent arms E5 E5 adapted to receive a telescope, the bearings e therefor being similar in all respects to the bearings Z9 in the main standards, and a graduated circle and vernier and level for the rocker and corresponding attachments for the telescope, all adapted to serve substantially as herein specified.

3. The combination with a telescope and the standards of a transit or theodolite, of a rocker E having divergent arms E5 E5 adapted to receive a telescope, the bearings e therefor being similar in all respects to the bearings b in the main standards, and a graduated circle and Vernier and level for the rocker and corresponding attachments for the telescope and a counterbalance E5 on the opposite side of the axis from the telescope-bearings, all arranged to serve substantially as herein specified.

4. The combination with a telescope and the ordinary Ys of a transit or theodolite, of a detachable rocker pivotally mounted in said Ys and having a graduated vertical Wheel, and outer bearings pivotally supporting the telescope, substantially as herein specified.

5. The combination With the Ys of a transit or theodolite, of a rocker pivotally mounted in said Ys and having outer bearings or Ys and a telescope pivotally mounted therein so proportioned that the telescope is capable of making a complete revolution around its axis for sighting vertically in any direction in a vertical plane in the plane of the vertical axis of the instrument, substantially as herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. VIDINIAYER.

Witnesses:

l WILLIAM PAXToN,

JAMES B. CLAUTIOE. 

